Sporadic Muses
by Mai-chan63
Summary: Snippet series to take care of the plot bunnies. A lot of AUs and most of them will be KaiShin/ShinKai. [Chapter 7: Dragon'verse: To prevent the loss of any more innocent lives, Shinichi goes on a reconnaissance mission to find the dragon's weakness. But when he finally reaches his destination, the dragon isn't at all what Shinichi had thought it to be.]
1. Raven'verse - Prologue

Hello, this is a place for me to put stories that may or may not be continued. I have too many ideas, and I find it difficult to finish all of them. If you have any suggestions concerning certain stories, prompts, ideas for the plot to continue, etc. feel free to leave a comment! Your ideas may inspire me to write another scene.

This chapter is a rework of the original piece. The basics didn't change, just a couple of fancier words and easier sentences.

Hope you enjoy!

 **Warning** : AU, Conan and Shinichi are brothers, animal cruelty(?).

 **Genre** : Fantasy, adventure, romance (later on)

 **Rated** : T

 **Words** : 4780

 **Raven'verse** \- Prologue: meeting the Ravens.

Kaito wasn't a poacher. Or at least he didn't think of himself as a poacher. After all, poachers only took the most valuable parts of their spoil, like the feathers of a silver bird. Poachers would kill the magnificent creatures, and pluck them until nothing was left but a featherless body. And that featherless body... Poachers would leave it to rot in the jungle in which it used to fly.

Kaito was different. Yes, he did lay the same traps as those poachers, and yes, should he ever come across a silver bird he wouldn't hesitate to kill it. But unlike other poachers he wouldn't just take off with the feathers.

To show his remorse and gratefulness towards the creatures, he tried to use as much of their body as possible. To stay with the example of the silver birds, according to his mother their meat, if prepared well, had an amazing taste. Shamefully he'd never been able to see if she was correct, since he'd never caught or even seen a silver bird before.

But as he'd said he tried to use as much as possible, creating toys and decorations with their bones or organs - seriously, you could make excellent soccer balls with a chimera's bladder! He'd then give these items to his mother who sold them in the little shop she owned.

Sadly not many people were interested in a highly aggressive, and therefore hated, water warthog's skull - they tend to cause fishermen a lot of trouble. So yeah, business wasn't going so well and it was only because Kaito also caught rarer creatures from time to time that were more profitable, that they could still keep the shop and feed themselves. Though it was getting more difficult lately as summer was around the corner and the animals had to hide from the extreme weather conditions.

Their world certainly wasn't easy to live in. The weather was always extreme and could change drastically from one area to the next. One moment you could be walking through a desert and the next you'd be freezing your backside off in a blizzard.

Luckily Mother Earth had decided to give them some freebies, namely low-lying areas in which the weather was always calm. Temperatures in these areas would shift between 15 and 25 Celsius degrees, depending on the season.

These areas were called valleys, because of their geographic position, and were naturally completely packed with buildings as they were the safest places people could trade and live. Eventually the valleys were completely full and that's when people started building upwards, creating a maze of bridges, stairways and houses.

With the richest people wanting to be as far on top of the cities as possible - you had the best view at the top of course – a new need arose. Going up all those stairways and roads cost too much effort so the need for elevators and vehicles, that could easily ascend the valleys, came to be, but was quickly remedied with the discovery of certain crystals.

These crystals held so much energy that they could easily feed their machinery. And the best thing was that these crystals were as easy to breed as plants, creating an infinite energy source for all their needs. Thus it didn't take long for hovercrafts to fly through the cities.

Kaito, on the other hand, had a thing for the simple, white pick-up truck he'd bought right after he'd learned how to drive. Though the vehicle was old and rattled from time to time, it was a lot easier to use for his poaching than a hovercraft. The latter made way too much noise in the woods just outside Ekoda valley, the valley he and his mother lived in. His pick-up truck wasn't exactly silent either, but at least it didn't drive off the animals like the hovercrafts did.

He reminisced on this fact as he drove down the old and long-since abandoned road through the woods to his hunting place. Summer was just around the corner and that meant the weather would reach its peak. Changing every quarter of an hour at worst, it was only due to the specially crafted jacket that Kaito could continue to hunt.

The jacket's material was another necessary tool mankind invented to survive in these circumstances. Made from the weather chameleon, it adapted to the current weather circumstances, providing coolness during heat storms and warmth during sudden snowfall. The jacket also came with a nifty hood he could put on his head to protect it.

His heavy army boots and his dark pants, made from water warthog skin, protected his lower body, but he'd been close enough to losing a leg or foot to the weather to know he needed pants and boots made from the same kind of material as his jacket if he wanted to poach further away from the city and come back whole.

The weather chameleon on the other hand was again a rare animal and so chameleon clothes, as they are called, were expensive. His mother, though, hadn't wanted to lose another loved one to Mother Nature and therefore had forced him to buy it with what little money they had left.

After three years of fighting their poverty problems due to the death of his father, twelve year old Kaito had had enough and so he'd decided to poach in the woods to earn at least some money. In the beginning it had been tough. He hadn't known how to catch specific animals and had no idea what animal was worth the most.

But after eight years of being in the business, learning from his mistakes, he could say he was a decent poacher and an excellent seller. As a kid it had often happened that buyers had deceived him into selling goods cheaper than they were actually worth. Nowadays he kept an eye on the rates, keeping in mind which animal was worth how much and what part of them would sell best.

A bump in the road brought his attention back to the present. Right, he was heading for the traps he'd placed three days ago, he should focus on that rather than on the past. In three days' time he and his mother had to pay the rent for the store and the small apartment above it. The problem was that they were still twenty thousand cithras short and to get that much money in just three days was going to be hard.

Kaito just hoped that he'd caught something valuable in his traps today. Another water warthog or sunbird wasn't going to cut the deal this time. Grimacing he tried to remember the last time he'd caught something valuable - which had been a long, long time ago...

If he really wanted to catch something valuable he would have to go further into the woods or even beyond. But that was far too dangerous with his current equipment.

Sighing he decided to just check the traps and if he didn't get anything of worth he'd try to hunt further tomorrow. They couldn't lose the store or their apartment, so he had to risk it.

Kaito pulled the car over, the vehicle protesting as he drove into the bumpy verge. After a few hundred meter he stopped, looking around for the tree he'd marked so he knew where his traps lay. Finding it he locked the car and retraced his steps.

The first trap was empty. Not that he had expected anything else seeing as it was the easiest trap he'd laid out. The second and third trap held two small blue-beaked owls; a nice catch. Their beaks were worth about 2500 cithras.

He touched the birds carefully, trying to see if they were already dead and to his relief felt that they were. He disliked it when a trap failed to immediately kill an animal. It usually caused them quite the suffering, which always left Kaito with a guilty feeling in his stomach. He couldn't afford to buy other equipment to make better traps though.

Loosening the iron noose around the birds' neck he put the animals in his leather shoulder-bag. After that he reset the traps and moved on to the next ones. The bag was soon filled with a young sunbird which made him happy - their young meat was rather popular - but did nothing to ease his worries. At some point he even had to carry another water warthog and a horned hyena back to his truck, but it wasn't nearly enough.

He'd almost given up hope when he walked towards the last couple of traps and heard the rustling of leaves. 'Jolly, another failed trap...' He thought, faltering slightly. But as he walked around the rock formation behind which his trap lay, he got the shock of his life.

What he saw was a boy, around ten years of age, whose leg was stuck in the iron noose of his trap. Now the fact that a boy was caught in his trap should've made him dart forward and help the poor child. But something about him made Kaito freeze in his position.

Wings. The boy had wings. Beautiful, black feathered wings, with which he was frantically flapping around, trying to escape the trap.

Shaking his head Kaito tried to get his brain to reboot. He'd heard of creatures that were half human or at least looked half human, but he'd never actually seen one. What kind of creature would this boy be? Half human and half… crow perhaps? The little black birds weren't an uncommon sight since they roamed the valleys digging through trash in order to survive. However something inside of him didn't believe the boy was related to crows.

He was reminded of a legend his father told him a long time ago. Of humans Mother Nature loved so much that she couldn't bear to let them live in the world as it were. So she gave them the ability to live elsewhere. To live in a place that was safe from the weather. She'd given them wings so they could fly high above the weather's grasp to a land in the sky.

"Are you a Raven?" Kaito asked stunned. The boy finally seemed to notice him. Sitting on the ground he looked at Kaito sullenly, hiding the wings behind his back. Or at least trying to; the wings were almost as big as his own body.

He didn't answer the poacher for minute. Before he looked down slightly embarrassed. "Can you help me out of this thing?" he asked.

Kaito had to think for a minute. The boy would run away as soon as he did and whether or not he really was a Raven didn't matter. A child with wings? People would pay millions to get this boy from him! That solved not only this month's rent, but their whole poverty problem to the boot! No more worrying about rent or how to get enough food for his mother and him, and perhaps no more poaching?

He couldn't let this boy escape! Even if a part in the back of his mind was gnawing at him. The boy looked human enough to actually be one. He could even talk. It was almost like selling another human, albeit a human with two appendages.

Shaking his head he tried to focus. There were more animals out there that could talk and could be compared to humans. He just had to bite his tongue and take the boy with him. He just didn't have the luxury to think about morality. He knew this when he began poaching, he'd never forgotten it and he wouldn't start forgetting it now.

All the time the boy had stared at him with growing anxiety, but Kaito merely ignored this. "Sorry, little boy," he said, getting up and moving closer to the boy, "I can't let you go. Selling you is going to ease my worries for a long, long time."

The boy's fear had grown exponentially as he'd said that, his eyes widening in despair. "No," he said, his voice breaking, "please, you have to listen to me! You have to let me go! Please!"

"I can get millions for a creature like you," Kaito began, taking out a syringe filled with a sedative of his own design from his pocket and hiding it from the boy, "give me one good reason why I should let you go?"

He hated having to act the bad guy like this, but he didn't have a choice, so he forced all his emotions to the back of his mind. The boy was still staring at him with wide eyes as he tried to come up with a reason that would convince the poacher. "I- I," he stuttered, but nothing more came out.

And before something did, Kaito had reached him, looking down at the frightened boy. Gritting his teeth, Kaito jammed the syringe in his neck. The boy let out a startled sound before his eyes slowly shut and he fell to the ground, fast asleep. Sighing, Kaito took the needle out and looked at him.

Lying there in between the leaves the boy seemed almost peaceful if there wasn't an iron noose digging in the soft flesh of his ankle. His hair was pitch-black, much like his wings, and sat neatly on top of his head, excluding a little cowlick on the back. Kaito remembered that his eyes had been a beautiful azure colour, but that colour had been slightly obscured by the large glasses that sat on his nose. He wore a simple, navy blue shirt and army green pants with a pair of red and white sneakers beneath that, and Kaito had to wonder how he could survive in those clothes outside the valleys.

Shaking his head, Kaito kneeled down and freed the boy. He then threw the limp body over his shoulder before he walked away. A quick glance showed the other traps were empty and he decided to reset or clear them some other time. Right now he had to make sure the boy was safely secured before he could wake up.

"You were absolutely right, Kuroba-kun!" Fukushima exclaimed as he looked at the sleeping boy inside the cage. "This really seems to be a Raven and a young one too!" Excited the business man clapped his hands together, studying the winged boy from top to bottom.

Kaito watched from beside the cage. He'd treated the boy's ankle carefully, making sure it wouldn't get infected, then shackled his arms and the uninjured leg, before putting him in the cage. The shackles were made by yours truly with horned hyena fur on the inside so they wouldn't chafe the animals' limbs.

Afterwards he'd searched everywhere to see what exactly people were willing to pay for a Raven and contacted a businessman, Fukushima Rei, who was willing to pay two million for it. It had taken him a day, but it had definitely been worth it.

A groan and movement from inside the cage caught both their attention. They watched as the boy began to stir, before sitting up and putting a hand on his head. "Now you can also see that he's alive. Happy?" Kaito said emotionlessly. He just wanted to get this over with. Now that the boy was awake, he would most likely start begging, and Kaito was not sure if he could handle that.

"Wonderful, absolutely wonderful!" Fukushima said, "I'll take it!"

At this exclamation the boy in the cage became fully aware of the situation. He looked skittishly around him, eyes wide as he saw strange faces and unfamiliar surroundings. Finding Kaito's face the boy turned towards him, grabbing the iron bars of the cage. "Please, don't do this! I'll do anything, just please let me go!" he begged, but Kaito turned his head away, ignoring his pleas.

Looking at Fukushima, he said, "About the money..."

But couldn't finish his sentence as the man cut him off. "Ah yes, of course, of course! I'll write you a check with which you can go to the bank!"

"Actually," Kaito began before the man could write the check, "I want twice the money."

He watched the man widen his eyes, before the latter straightened and the business-side of him came out. "And for what reason would I give you twice as much as I originally offered?" the man asked calmly. He was used to these types of tricks, people trying to get more money than he'd originally offered wasn't uncommon.

"Well, you see, this morning I had another visitor by the name of Nanase Ryou," Kaito began and immediately Fukushima cursed, knowing said Nanase quite well, rivalling companies and all. "He offered me four million for the Raven. Naturally since I still had an appointment with you, I wanted to wait to see what offer you would come up with," Kaito continued, putting on his seller's attitude.

They were both silent for a while, the poacher waiting for the man to make a decision and the businessman weighing down the pros and cons. When it took a bit too long for Kaito's liking he added, "Of course, I could always see what others are willing to offer me. Perhaps the price will rise even further if I tell more people about it." He spoke the last sentence as if he'd been talking to himself rather than to Fukushima.

The man, seeing where that would lead to, immediately took the bait and agreed. "Alright, I'll give you four million, but nothing more!"

"A wise choice, Fukushima-san," Kaito said, smiling to the man and ignoring the horrified cries of the little Raven.

"No!" another voice interrupted them. The two trading men turned towards the door to see an adolescent leaning against the frame, panting and looking as if he was ready to pass out. The passing out part was probably due to a large wound in his side that drenched his shirt a crimson red. "I'll pay you five million!" he said in between pants.

Kaito studied the man. He looked strikingly similar to the boy, the poacher realized. Pitch-black hair that sat a similar fashion as the boy's with the same azure eyes, and olive coloured skin. He also wore a simple t-shirt, except his was white - excluding the red stain in his side of course – and army-green cargo pants with black army boots beneath.

Looking at the boy in the cage, he saw the boy look at the newcomer with a small smile on his face that spoke of recognition and hope. There was also worry in his eyes. So those two knew each other. Did that mean that the newcomer was also a Raven? The boy's father perhaps?

Interesting. Kaito thought and looked back to see the slightly larger cage in the corner behind him. If he could just lure the young man out, maybe he would show his true nature, that of a Raven.

"Hahahaha, do you even have that kind of money, boy?" Fukushima laughed as he only saw an injured, young man in simple clothes. Surely he didn't look like someone who could pay that large amount of money.

"If I say that I can pay, then I can!" the adolescent growled before returning his attention back to Kaito. "Six! I'll pay you six!" he said quickly when he saw Kaito's indifferent face, sounding more desperate by the moment.

"Sorry buddy, I already sold him. Should've been here earlier," Kaito said, shrugging and moving towards a stack of ropes he had lying in front of the larger cage. He acted as if he was doing something useful, but in his mind he was trying hard to come up with a way to get the young man to come after him.

Eventually that was a wasted effort as the elder Raven showed his true nature as a last resort. Wings sprouted from his back and he used them to come at Kaito with such a high speed the poacher barely had time to grab the door to the cage and open it as he jumped to the side.

The Raven tried to redirect his path, but the wound thwarted this action. Clutching his side the Raven fell into the cage, and Kaito immediately shut and locked the door behind him.

"I thought as much," he muttered. "You'd have been better off staying away from this place and forgetting all about the young one." The elder Raven glared up at him from his position on the floor of the cage.

"Let him go, he's done nothing wrong," he growled.

"Can't do that, buddy, I've got a rent to pay," he said, raising the left corner of his mouth in a smile that didn't reach his eyes, then turned away from the cage.

"Nii-san!" the young Raven shouted, throwing himself against the side of the cage. Nii-san, eh? So they were brothers, not father and son. Not that it mattered much to Kaito. "Please, leave my nii-san be! He's injured and needs a doctor! Please, show some humanity!"

Kaito grit his teeth and kicked the smaller one's cage in annoyance. "Shut up!" he growled, effectively reducing the boy to mere whimpering as he looked at his brother with worry and fright. "Well, Fukushima-san, are you interested in another, full-grown Raven?" he asked.

The man eagerly shook his head, still somewhat flabbergasted by the whole experience. "If I'm interested? Of course, I'm interested! I'll pay you eight million for the two of them," he said, but Kaito shook his head.

"The boy was already four million, the other one is a full-grown Raven, and injured or not he's worth at least six. I want ten million for the both of them," Kaito said. He'd had enough of this situation. He wanted the two Ravens gone before he'd change his mind.

Fukushima saw the determination in the poacher's eyes and knew that the young man would not budge, so he sighed. Ten million was nothing to him after all. "Fine, ten million for the both of them," he said and wrote the check. After that was done Fukushima handed it to him and smiled happily.

"Thank you very much for this, Kuroba-kun. The young one is going to be excellent to display on my next birthday party! People are going to be so jealous!" he said, excitement filled his voice at the thought alone of all those green faces.

Kaito shrugged, he could care less about the workings of the rich. "Hmmm, the elder one's wings are beautiful. I think I'll hang those up in my living room. Oh! And he himself would be a lovely servant to show off!"

"You're going to cut off his wings?!" the smaller Raven roared. "Do you have any idea what kind of disgrace that is, you filthy monster! Where is your humanity? I thought humans were compassionate beings that took care of one another!"

Fukushima shot the boy a glare. "Oh shush, stupid, little animal."

Kaito clenched his hand into a fist. Just get out, he thought.

"No! I won't listen to the likes of you!" the boy roared again.

"Enough, Conan," the elder Raven said. Kaito looked at him as did the boy, Conan. But upon seeing his brother continued to roar with tears in his eyes. Kaito stopped listening to him. He was still looking at the elder Raven.

The young man had seated himself with his back against the side of the cage, holding onto his wound and staring into nothingness with resignation. His wings had shrunk in size and hung droopingly from his back.

Kaito found that he didn't like that expression on the Raven's face. Resigned to a life of serving and humiliation. The sound of the young Raven's voice echoing inside his brain did nothing to help him. "If this is what it takes to be human, then I don't want to be one. I don't want to know one or even see one! Disgusting, you are all disgusting!"

"Ow, you're just an animal, what would you know of disgusting things?" Fukushima said, waving the boy off.

"Get out!" Kaito ground out, catching everyone's attention. He ignored the Ravens and instead focused on Fukushima. "The deal is off, take your money and get out," he continued and ripped the check he'd been given with little pain in his heart. He needed the money, yes. But if he had to lose his morality to get it, he decided he'd rather live in poverty.

Fukushima didn't seem to have expected this turn of events. Looking at the poacher with wide eyes he gaped like a fish on the dry land. "B-but… You need the money! You have a loan to pay, don't you? Are you seriously going to let what that little thing says get to you?"

"That's my problem, not yours," Kaito merely stated. "We didn't shake hands, so the deal hasn't been completed yet. I still have the right to deny your offer. Now get out of my sight, before I make you leave!" Taking his father's old gun from the storage box beside him, Kaito took a threatening stance.

Fukushima hesitated for only a minute more. Gritting his teeth, he turned around and headed for the back door. Before disappearing however he turned around and spoke one last time, "You're going to regret this decision." After that he left the building.

"Like I didn't know that already," Kaito muttered to himself. He sighed and sat down against one of the boxes in the storage room behind the shop, putting his elbows and hands crossed on his knees and dropping his head on his arms as he tried to calm down.

"Thank you," a soft voice spoke up. He felt a vein pop on his head.

"Don't get cocky!" he shouted without looking at the small boy that had spoken up from inside the cage. "Just because I didn't sell you to this bastard, doesn't mean I won't sell you at all!" It stayed quiet after his outburst.

It took Kaito a minute or so to calm down and recollect his thoughts. When he had, he felt a gaze on him that didn't belong to the boy. Turning his head to the right, he met the elder Raven's gaze.

Still sitting against the side of the cage the azure-eyed man merely regarded him, waiting for what was to happen. He looked rather pale compared to when he'd stormed inside the storage room. Sweat spiralled down his forehead and pain was visible inside his eyes.

But even so, said eyes weren't glazed over. The Raven, even after losing so much blood and energy, looked as aware of his surroundings as any healthy human was. Or rather, he looked even more aware of his surrounding than a healthy human, even in this state.

Kaito blamed it on the animal genes that must be roaming through said adolescent's body.

After a while of silently staring at each other, the Raven finally decided to speak up. "I wasn't lying, you know?" he began. "When I said that I could pay for my little brother, I meant it." When Kaito didn't answer he continued. "I'd be more than willing to help you pay the bills. Even for the next couple of times."

The poacher turned his head back to the front, chin resting on his crossed arms. "I don't take pity money. I pay the bills with money I have worked for and nothing else." Poaching might not be work according to many. But the amount of energy and thought he put into it, made it work in his eyes. Besides he wasn't like all the other poachers.

"Then work for me."

Raising his head and turning it to the elder Raven again, Kaito looked at him with a frown. "You're a Raven, an animal," he said. "What kind of job could an animal have?"

Smiling a little – Kaito would've thought he'd offended the Raven rather than making him amused – the Raven shrunk his wings further and made them disappear. "Now I look human, don't I?" he said, shrugging. "You'd be surprised how many Ravens actually live side by side with humans."

Kaito thought a little about the offer. It didn't sound bad. If he agreed he would solve the bill problem for this month and maybe get himself another job to the boot. But there was one thing he wanted to know before he simply agreed. "What kind of work do you do?" he asked.

Smirking the elder Raven answered. "We're hunters."

If you're interested, cithras is something I made up as a currency. I liked the way it sounded and you can compare it with yen if you want to know how the prices relate.


	2. Hero'verse - Chapter 1

Pffft, I wanted to post this two days ago, but internet was screwed at the time. Besides that I already failed one of the two New Years resolutions I made... which was to update something at least once a month... So to catch up, here is something I've had in mind for quite a while, but got stuck after a couple more scenes. I will upload something else this month (hopefully...) and try to stick to my New Years resolution!

 **Genre** : action, mystery, crime.

 **Rated** ; T

 **Words** ; 3.337

Hope you like this!

Hero'verse - chapter 1: The Rat

* * *

The sound of an explosion worried Kaito more than the screeching of the alarm as he jumped from roof to roof with his grappling gun. Even against the night sky he could see the thick black cloud rising about two hundred yards away from him. Clicking his tongue, he continued on his way, hoping he wouldn't be too late.

Lately there had been a lot more of these terrorist-like attacks. Kaito had only actually seen one in action one time – and that had only been the last moments, just before the perpetrators got away. But he'd heard enough and seen the mess they left behind.

Getting in at the top of the buildings of multiple well-known companies, the criminal group would work their way down, wreaking havoc everywhere they went. Then when everything was done, they would blow up every entrance to the building and escape, leaving the fire to burn away all the evidence they might have left behind.

Well, he'd called them criminals. But they were nothing of the sort. Kaito thought of them as mere vandalism addicted teenagers – and that was something coming from the guy who's alter ego was KID.

They didn't do anything other than destroying everything that crossed their path. They didn't steal anything nor did they hurt anyone. Even when the police arrived they'd rather run and disappear in alleys than fight the police head on.

Yes, Kaito didn't think high of them in the slightest. Of all the criminals he'd come across he actually disliked them the most – and he'd come across a lot.

The Shadows – as the media has dubbed them – only caused people trouble and ruined companies without giving any reason at all, then ran off with their tails between their legs when the police arrived. Kaito would rather call them rats, scurrying off like that.

And the biggest rat of them all, Kaito reminisced as he finally reached his destination and lowered himself to the street with his grappling gun, was Sora. Looking at the fire burning, the hero gritted his teeth. He hated fire.

Between him and the fire a familiar figure stood, back turned towards the white-cladded hero. Kaito glared at him, knowing the other had long since taken note of his presence. "Ara," the man started to speak up, with a slightly muffled voice, "KID-san, we finally meet."

The man turned around and it was only then that Kaito realized why the media chose that name. The first thing that attracted his eyes weren't the black jeans and hoodie that covered his head, or even the black leather face mask that covered the lower half of his face.

No, the first thing he noticed about Sora, were his eyes. Even with the flames burning brightly behind him, making the hoodie cast shadows over his whole face, his eyes seemed to glow a sharp, clear azure blue, like the sky on a cloudless day.

It was almost supernatural how they seemed to gleam without any apparent light source to make them do so and for a minute Kaito was mesmerized. Those eyes looked at him, pierced right through him with such amusement that he had the feeling the man knew all about his past and was laughing at it.

It made a vein pop on Kaito's forehead. "Give up, Sora," the hero spoke up, trying to keep his calm. "You won't get away from me and the police will be here soon."

He could only imagine the smirk that spread across the other's face as he noticed the cheekbones rising and the eyes narrowing in the process. "I will never be caught, KID," Sora said, spreading his arms out in a matter-of-factly way. "Especially not by the police."

Kaito forced his muscles to relax, enabling himself to move quickly when necessary. The azure eyes flickered down for a second, before coming back to his face. "One day you'll make a mistake and when that day comes, I will be there to catch you."

"Maybe I'll never make a mistake? What are you going to do then?" Sora said, cocking his head to the side in a manner that almost seemed cute. How Kaito could look at that filthy rat and think of him as cute in any way, the hero himself didn't know. But he had and it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Everyone makes mistakes. It's part of being human and you're still human even if you scurry away like a rat," Kaito snarled.

The black-cladded man in front of him actually had the audacity to laugh at his insult. Shoulders shaking and head thrown back, the hoodie almost fell off of Sora's head, but it didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. He could probably care less whether or not it had.

Recomposing himself, the criminal sighed, wiping away an imaginary tear. "I must admit, I like you, KID. You're a funny guy." Another vein popped on the hero's forehead. Did that Sora think he was better than Kaito? Everything about his demeanour seemed to say so. "Either way, I think we need to cut this meeting short, don't you think?"

Frowning, Kaito prepared himself to give chase; the other's words suggested he was going to make a run for it soon. He understood why several moments after when the screeching of the alarm was drowned by the shrill shrieking of police sirens.

Not even a second after that both of them were surrounded by policemen, guns aimed at the black-cladded one. "That'll be enough, KID, we'll handle it from here," Nakamori-keibu's voice sounded from somewhere behind him.

Still Kaito did not dare let Sora out of his sight, having heard of the other's slippery escapes before. "Well," the criminal in front of him spoke up, shrugging and entirely ignoring the police's presence even as the latter called out for him to raise his hands and get on his knees. "It seems my friends have gotten away safely."

"They won't stay free for long once you're behind bars," Kaito said, having long since realized Sora had merely been stalling him so his fellow Rats could get away.

The other's head angled down slightly and his cheekbones rose again, making Kaito realize he was smirking once more. "Then first you'll need to catch me, KID," he said and quickly made a run for it.

Turning to his right the black-cladded figure jumped easily on the nearest police vehicle, which had also been a part of the circle surrounding them. Without hesitating he used the vehicle to make an aerial over the policemen, leaving them stunned and gaping after him. When he touched the ground he sprinted off into the nearest alley.

Kaito hadn't stayed still during these acrobatics. Running after the criminal he took the same path, the police car, and jumped over the policemen blocking his way before he also disappeared in the alley.

For a while he could keep up with Sora, but the black-cladded man knew the alleys way better than Kaito and after a long chase of running, jumping and flipping he lost him. Leaning heavily on the wall of a building he recognized to be in Beika-chou, the hero tried to catch his breath, feeling as if he was ready to pass out.

Hitting his fist against the wall, he straightened himself and went home, hoping to get a few more hours of sleep before he had to go to school. He'd been unable to catch that stupid rat tonight, but at least they'd finally met.

Next time would be different, he'd make sure of that.

* * *

"Have you ever thought they might have a reason for what they're doing?" Shinichi said.

Raising his head from his desk, Kaito glared at the one beside him. "Even if they did, it won't justify them destroying and ruining these companies. Do you realize how many people lose their jobs with the things they do?" he almost snarled.

"Ow, don't be so grouchy, Kuroba-kun, just because KID failed miserably last night, doesn't mean you have to bite Kudo-kun's head off," Hakuba said from the seat in front of him, turning around to join their conversation.

"KID did not fail miserably!" Kaito defended his alter ego.

"It doesn't matter if he failed, he should stay away either way," Aoko perked up from the seat behind Kaito. She puffed her lips as she thought back to last night. "He's always trying to catch bad guys, but really he's just getting in the police's way. If he wants to play the hero he should just join the police, like any other normal civilian! That stupid KID just craves the attention," she finished her rant.

"Che," Kaito said, "well, at least KID catches a lot more bad guys than the police," he muttered. Really, even after all the good he did as Tokyo's phantom hero, KID, Aoko, his best and childhood friend, still hates him with a passion. Well, luckily not him per se, just his alter ego…

"By going outside the law!" Aoko shouted. "How is that being a hero?"

Kaito turned his head away. He wasn't going to win this argument either way. For some reason everyone seemed to be against the idea of KID. Aoko as she said before thought KID was merely craving the attention and was therefore getting in the way of the police.

Hakuba didn't seem to dislike KID entirely, at least he was able to see the good things KID did, but agreed with Aoko that he made a fool out of the police and that was not something you would want. According to him it was like inviting civilians to take matters in their own hands.

Then there was Shinichi…

Actually, he had no idea what Shinichi thought about KID. He'd known the grey-eyed detective all the way from first year of middle school and it was only around the time that Kaito became KID that Shinichi also started to act… differently.

It wasn't as noticeable at first, but the detective seemed more… withdrawn lately. Back in middle school he was a smug and very much arrogant teen, who knew every girl thought he was a stud and didn't dislike it in the slightest. He was often on the news because of another case he'd solved and was always talking – ahum bragging about it.

It was around the time they started high school that Shinichi changed. Slowly by slowly, so no one really realized it except for Kaito. He stopped acting smug and arrogant. Even when the newspaper gushed all over him he shrugged it off, like it didn't matter to him, while usually he would've rubbed it in people's faces. He also didn't give statements to the newspaper anymore, shrugging them off the way he shrugged off the articles talking about him.

He stopped caring about the fangirls. Nowadays he actually seemed to find them annoying, throwing away all the fanmail with a disgusted wrinkle of his nose.

Yes, Shinichi had changed. Just like Kaito had actually, but still. The detective had gone from this always in the centre of the attention, smug and arrogant lady-killer, to a passive, sarcastic and withdrawn detective. Instead of searching out friends he'd rather spent his free time reading and working on cases.

In all honesty, Kaito liked this Shinichi a lot better. The only thing he would've liked his friend had kept was his open attitude towards Kaito. They used to share a lot of thoughts about all kinds of things, but somewhere along the way, Shinichi had 'gotten too busy with cases'.

Or at least that was the excuse he always gave. In his defence, Kaito was also always busy with his KID activities to actually realize they were slowly drifting further away from each other. They still were friends to this day though and they did hang out still – a lot less than they used to, but Kaito made sure they went out every so often.

Well, either way, that change in personality had let to Kaito being unable to actually know what his detective friend thought about his alter ego. Shinichi didn't seem to dislike KID, but he wasn't a supporter either.

Though that could all be different as the detective rarely shared his opinion about stuff anymore, opting to dodge those questions by asking other questions or adequately changing the subject. Well, Kaito wasn't one to pry when he knew the other wouldn't give the answer just like that.

He'd have to find another way to get the answer out of his friend. But that took a lot of time and planning, something he didn't have what with all the Rats' activities.

"Are you two fighting again?" another voice perked up. Looking up, Kaito looked straight into Mouri Ran's face, Shinichi's best and childhood friend.

"Ran-chan! They're being mean again! Ahoko and the British prick are flaming my idol and Shinichi is not helping in the slightest~!" he whined, knowing that Ran, the motherly figure that she was, would comfort him and help change the subject.

"Don't listen to them, Kaito! Besides I'm certain Shinichi agrees with you whole-heartedly!" she said, smiling broadly at him. Filing the piece of information away for later, Kaito smiled right back. But knowing that Ran was here, also meant that…

"Did someone say anything about KID?" Sonoko piped up from behind Ran. Mentally sweat dropping, Kaito smiled up at the girl in question. Ran straightened again, looking over her shoulder at her friend so that she could also join the conversation.

"Yes, we're talking about that stupid hero," Aoko said, shaking her head irritably. "But more importantly, Shinichi-kun! Is it true what Ran-chan said?"

The detective in question leaned his head on his hands and shrugged apathetically. "It's not as if KID is doing anything bad. Besides that Kaito's right when he says that KID catches more bad guys than the police." He looked straight ahead with eyes clouded over as he seemed to think about something completely different. "Sometimes you have to go outside the law to do the right thing," he muttered.

And Kaito couldn't for the life of him stop thinking that Shinichi was talking about an entirely different topic than KID when he'd said that. Even as Aoko quieted down after that and as Ran expertly changed the subject the sentence continued to hang in the air, making it heavy and almost suffocating.

Still no matter how much Kaito thought about it, he couldn't figure out what other topic Shinichi had had in mind.

It continued to haunt him all the way until he'd donned the KID outfit that night. At that point he took a deep sigh and forced the problem to the back of his mind. It wouldn't do for him to be distracted while doing his job.

He took a deep breath and, looking at his reflection in the mirror, nodded in approval. Once again he was looking stunning, he thought with a smug grin. After a few more seconds of approving his handsomely teenaged figure, Kaito left the house through the secret entrance he'd made at the back and disappeared off into the night, hoping to aid more people in distress.

That distress came the moment he entered the shopping district of Shibuya-chou. But not in the form of a human distress call. No, his ears were met with the shrieking of yet another alarm and he knew that the Rats had struck again.

Quickly making his way to the scene of the crime, he was met with the sight of yet another building burning as the rats were already busy scurrying away before the police came. Just as he'd lowered himself to the ground he saw an azure eyed figure standing with his back towards the opening of a small alley on the opposite side of the street.

Sora was looking at him intensely, the raised cheekbones indicating the smirk on his face. Waving at him as a challenge he disappeared, walking backwards into the shadows of the alley. Eventually Kaito could only see those azure eyes glowing in the shadows before they too disappeared.

Immediately he gave chase, not wanting to let the other escape his grasp yet again. They ran and ran, through alleyways, and eventually up to the roofs. How Sora was able to get up the roof, where Kaito had had to use his grappling gun, the hero did not know, but he made a mental note to check out the place during daylight and see if there were easy places to climb.

If only to get an idea of how the criminal moved about. He was like a goddamned parkour runner, jumping up and down as freely as he could. If there was a parkour contest in Tokyo and Sora participated, he'd win for sure.

The acrobatics he did spoke of a control of his body that even Kaito hadn't achieved in all his years as prankster and hero. To say that the later was jealous of that control was an understatement.

That didn't mean however that the hero was any less. With the help of his gadgets he easily followed the criminal and slowly by slowly caught up. When they'd run for at least an hour, Kaito finally seemed to corner Sora.

Upon reaching the end of a roof somewhere in Beika, Sora stopped, looking down and then sideways. Stopping behind the criminal Kaito smirked. The roof was too high to jump off of and too far from the others to continue. He had nowhere left to run.

"This is the end of the line, Rat," Kaito said, smirking his KID smirk and still panting rather heavily.

If the other tensed, he certainly didn't show it. He merely stopped looking around for an escape route and turned around rather slowly, seemingly completely in control. Why was the stupid Rat not panting as heavily as Kaito was?

"You sure seem to be in good condition," he commented, when the other didn't say anything. "Used to this scurrying around, Rat?"

Sora smirked, his glowing, sky-blue eyes slanting in the shadows of his hoody. "It saves going to the gym, right? Something I bet you could do a little more often if you have trouble keeping up with a rat, huh KID?"

Kaito nearly growled in annoyance, but held it in at the last moment. He would not play according to Sora's rules. "Why are you doing this, Rat? What do you gain from ruining these companies and ruining so many people's lives?"

One eyebrow arched, but the cheekbones were still raised, indicating he still held his smirk beneath it all. "Eeeeh?" Sora asked, cocking his head to the side. "KID, this is the first time you've showed interest in my motives," he said playfully.

"Naturally, if you tell me your motives, I'll be able to predict your targets at least," Kaito said, clicking his tongue and glaring at the other. That guy always had a way of getting on his nerves.

Sora chuckled, shoulders shaking at the action. "All the more reason not to tell you. But if you want to know my targets that badly, I could start leaving hints next time?" the criminal said, shrugging slowly and head cocked again to the side. His stance all but screamed 'calm and smug'.

"What are you talking about?" the white-clad hero asked, eyes slanting in wariness.

Shrugging again in that nonchalant manner only Sora could display in front of KID, the Rat raised one hand and waved at him, smirk widening. "Until next time, KID," he said, before he slowly let himself fall backwards.

Eyes widening, Kaito darted forward. "Sora!" he shouted, looking over the edge of the roof. But instead of seeing the criminal crash into the ground, he saw him falling perfectly safe in a truck filled with cotton. The truck sped away down the road without realizing the added weight.

Clicking his tongue again, Kaito watched the vehicle disappear. "Lucky bastard."

* * *

That's it for now! I have a bit more written down after this, but I'm stuck. Lately I've just been unable to write anything and I'm left just writing snippets with multiple stories before my mind goes blank. Either way, hope to see you somewhere this month!

Don't forget to leave a like and review, because as any other author they make me really happy ^^v


	3. Possession'verse - Chapter 1

So first of all, I know I didn't upload anything last month... It's because I got an idea for a multi-chapter story and I've been focusing most of my writing attention on that. I really like the plot and want to finish it, but since I'm a college student, I also get busy from time to time with reports etc. I may upload something else this month, but no promises ^^;

Secondly, yeah... I don't know where this one came from ^^; oh wait... I do. It was because of a picture I found while going through some shinichi pictures on google. If you're wondering what the pic is, look at the cover image from this story! Anyway, I became interested in this paring because of that and a youtube amv about them. I'll put the link to that in the a/n below!

 **Genre** : ...uhm... Romance, I guess?

 **Rated** : T

 **Words** : 1.459

 **Warnings** : Not beta-read, some OoCness from both Ran and Shinichi, I guess.

 **Disclaimers:** I don't own neither the image nor the AMV. They belong to their respectful owners and I only wish to help share their fame and awesomeness V^.^

Well, enjoy!

* * *

Slowly the crowd started to disperse as the police officers let everyone out of the lobby and started cleaning up the crime scene. Shinichi sighed in relief as he finally finished the case. Sonoko had dragged him and Ran to the ball held in the newly opened Imaka Hotel. However a dispute between two guests had cut it off rather abruptly.

Luckily the alibi trick hadn't taken much time for Shinichi to solve and so the case was finished quite soon. Running back to the lobby he looked around in search for the two girls he'd left behind two hours ago.

He found them waiting at the service desk, looking through the crowd in search of him. Waving a hand he moved towards them. Sonoko was in an extravagance dress as always, with large jewellery hanging from her ears, neck and around her wrists.

Ran compared to that was a lot more modest, however Shinichi had noticed that her dress was a lot more revealing than what she'd usually wear. The bright red colour, the high split on her right thigh and the low cut didn't look bad on her at all. But to Shinichi, who was used to seeing her in more comfortable clothes, it seemed odd.

He knew why she was wearing the dress though. Naturally it originated from the Suzuki heiress, who hadn't wanted to just have a good night with her two friends. No, for some reason, ever since Shinichi returned from being Conan and defeating the Black Organisation, she's made it her life's goal to get the two of them together. It kind of became obvious when she disappeared out of nowhere at the beginning of the party, leaving the two on their own.

And naturally Ran wouldn't object to the heiress' crazy ideas to catch Shinichi's attention. He'd needed to straighten the misunderstanding soon, his speech in London seemed to have given her the wrong idea…

After all he already belonged to someone else.

"Ugh, I look forward to the day that we can hang out without a body dropping dead because of you," Sonoko said, glaring at him as he finally came within hearing range.

 _Then maybe you shouldn't try to hook me up with your best friend…_ Shinichi thought, but didn't voice it. "First of all, it's not because of me. Second of all, if it bothers you that much you could also just not invite me next time," he said, stopping in front of them and stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Sonoko put her hands on her hips and bowed forward threateningly. "And spend the night with a guilt-ridden Ran because you're all on your own in that god-forsaken house? The party would've ended even sooner than it did just now!"

Shinichi just shrugged and looked the other way. The lobby had mostly cleared out now, leaving them free to move to the exit themselves. They did so, Sonoko sending jabs his way, which he either returned or brushed off. Ran was awfully quiet as they walked down the street to Sonoko's car.

"You okay, Ran?" Shinichi asked, leaning towards her and studying her face. Maybe she wasn't feeling so well? He watched her meet his gaze and blush at their proximity. Oh dear, that had not been a good move. This was only going to worsen her crush on him.

She nodded mutely, looking at their feet while the blush deepened. Shinichi straightened again, given her personal space back. "Why don't you two wait here!" Sonoko said suddenly, jabbing Ran lightly in the side. "I'll go get the car!"

"Ah, wait Sonoko!" Ran said, stretching out her hand to stop her friend. But the heiress was already too far away, waving with a broad grin over her shoulder. Ran straightened again, shifting nervously towards him.

Shinichi walked towards the fence beside the sidewalk and leaned against it as they waited. Ran was obviously feeling uncomfortable, something she had been feeling a lot lately, especially when the two of them were alone. _Geez, Sonoko has been given her weird ideas, hasn't she? She never felt uncomfortable before the whole Conan thing_.

Ran continued to shift constantly, wringing her hands, plucking at her dress, shuffling with her feet. In all honesty it was starting to annoy Shinichi. Couldn't she just stay still or say something if she felt that uncomfortable?

"Sh-… Shinichi?" Shinichi shifted his eyes from the ground in front of him to her without moving his head, eyes silently telling her she could continue. She swallowed thickly, diverting her eyes for a second before daring to look back. "Uhm… well. I-I've actually been wanting to tell you something…" she began.

Shinichi started feeling a prickling feeling in his neck, a feeling he knew quite well. He shivered and looked in the direction he'd felt the gaze come from. As Conan he'd learned quite well when he was being watched and that had not changed when he'd gotten his real body back.

He was being watched. By _her_.

"Shinichi?" Ran asked, wondering why his attention wasn't on her anymore.

Finally finding the person he'd been looking for on the other side of the street, Shinichi watched her smile at him, with that complaisant smile of hers. She made a few gestures with her hand, that he knew by heart.

Without looking back at Ran he started to walk away. "Sorry Ran, I just remembered I got something to do. I'll see you tomorrow at school," he said and without waiting for her reply walked back the way they'd come from. He started to jog soon when he almost lost sight of _her_.

She kept walking on the other side, until she reached another hotel a couple of blocks away. Shinichi caught her gaze as she turned around to see if he'd followed, then moved in with a cock of her head that told him to follow.

He crossed the street and moved into the same hotel, going up the elevator to the 6th floor where he knew she would be in the 65th room. It had become somewhat of a ritual to take that particular room, or a room similar to that, like room 665. He knew she would rather have a room with three sixes, but thought that too obvious.

Standing in front of the door he didn't even need to knock as she opened the door and grabbed his lapels to pull him inside. Once inside the door closed and he was thrown on the bed.

She clicked her tongue a few times as she sat down beside him on the bed. He was leaning on his elbows, but even so she loomed over him, especially after she grabbed his chin with her left hand and tilted his head upwards, forcing him to meet her gaze.

"My, my, you're not forgetting our deal now, are you?" she asked, but the smirk on her face told him that she wasn't worried about that.

He pushed his face forward, his lips meeting hers. Long, blond locks fell down in his face, but he didn't particular care. He was used to them by now, they'd been more annoying when he'd been Conan though.

"Don't pretend you're worried. It doesn't suit you," he said once they'd parted.

She chuckled at his reaction, moving back just enough for him to see the black laced cocktail dress she wore, it barely reached the middle of her thighs. "You should clear up the misunderstanding with her soon," she said, dropping the playful tone and showing her annoyance.

"I will," he said. "I've just been having a hard time getting her alone."

"The two of you were alone tonight. That Suzuki girl left you two at the party."

"In private I mean. She's still my friend and I don't wish to humiliate her in public by making her cry." Cold blue eyes bore into his own azure ones, red lips a taught line on her beautiful face. "Worry really doesn't suit you," he said, leaning more on his left elbow so that he could raise his right hand and weave it through her blond hair. "She won't take me away. I belong to you and that will never change."

A glint appeared in her eyes again and the smirk came back. "She better not or she won't live long enough to actually enjoy you, my Silver Bullet."

He pulled her back into another kiss, allowing her to attack his tongue and force her own into his mouth. She pushed him back soon after, climbing on top of him and started to attack his neck with rough kisses and furious bites.

He groaned in a mix of pleasure and pain. "Now that's more like you, Vermouth."

* * *

Yeah... So the deal they were talking about; Vermouth agreed to give Shinichi inside information about the Black Organisation, which led to their downfall. In return, Shinichi would forever belong to Vermouth. Well... he didn't particularly care ^^

Here's the link to the youtube video btw (just replace the spaces between the w's and youtube with a dot); www /watch?v=_excEEm6abQ&index=21&list=LLHcid73BNyolpd1Y2UleOAw

Anyway, if you liked this, please leave a like and review! Hope to see you guys next time!


	4. Raven'verse - Chapter 1

Boo! Yes, I'm posting something again. Not sure if I'll do so regularly, but I've got some inspiration again, so who knows…

Anyway, as I said in the A/N of the first chapter, if you have any ideas/prompts/thoughts on any of my stories feel free to share them with me. I might get inspiration from your ideas and it would help if you have any ideas for MMORPG-like quests for this story ^^.

Either way, enjoy!

 **Warning:** AU, Conan and Shinichi are brothers, animal cruelty (?)

 **Genre:** fantasy, adventure, romance

 **Words:** 2844

Raven'verse - Chapter 1: The peak

Putting the last thousand cithras note inside Mamoru's out held hand, Kaito looked at the man expectantly. The landlord actually had the audacity to look impressed. "I can't believe you manage to get all the money every month with a shop like this," the man stated, shrugging. "I also can't believe that you haven't given up yet."

Kaito didn't answer, letting the man draw his own conclusions. Seeing the dislike in the adolescent's eyes, Mamoru turned around and shook his head. "You'd better give up this shop soon. One day it's going to be the death of you." And with that he left.

Turning around Kaito met his mother's gaze. He smiled at her worried look. "Don't worry, 'Kaa-san!" he said. "I'll make sure we survive!" Smiling again he went to the back of the store, where the storage room was.

"Nii-san, are you done yet?" was the whine that met him when he stepped inside. Looking around he saw the two Raven brothers sitting on the ground near the cages. The elder brother was sitting behind the younger one, who had one wing spread out to the side as the elder checked it for loose feathers.

"Listen, you need to take care of your wings or they might become a burden during crucial moments," Kudo Shinichi – as the elder Raven had introduced himself yesterday – said with a sigh and continued examining the boy's right wing.

Said boy pouted and turned his head back to the front, noticing Kaito at the doorstep. The latter blinked at the spectacle in front of him. Conan started to glare, a blush creeping up his face as the poacher continued to stare.

"Would you stop goggling me?!" Conan shouted, having had enough of Kaito's staring. Shinichi lowered the boy's right wing to see the other adolescent looking at them.

Sending a deadpanned look to his little brother, the elder Raven continued checking the wing. "Oh, don't be so embarrassed, Conan. It's not as if he's the one preening you."

"That doesn't mean I want him to watch!" Conan said petulantly, pouting once more.

Deciding to ignore the strange conversation between the two – it was probably something he wouldn't understand – Kaito shrugged and grabbed his hunting gear. He felt the two Ravens' eyes on him but ignored them.

It felt odd that he was now somewhat dependent on them. He owed them the money and that left a bad taste in his mouth. Owing someone money was never a good thing in the business that he's in… or was actually. Who knew when or even if he'll ever get back to poaching.

"Where are you going?" his mother's voice spoke up from behind him. Turning around he saw her standing in the door opening and met her worried gaze.

He shrugged. "Checking on the traps. I'm not sure if I'll be able to go back to them anytime soon, so it'd be best to just clean them up before an animal gets stuck for who knows how long."

He was already turning back to the back door to leave, when his mother spoke up again. "You know a peak is coming?"

He didn't hesitate. After all, the peak wouldn't come for another two hours. "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it," he said, and went out the back door.

"Nii-san! Nii-san! Oh no, nii-san, please stay alive!" The voice of his little brother brought him back to awareness. Shinichi groaned as the sound sent jolts of pain through his head. Panting, he tried to recollect what had happened. Why was he lying on the ground again? And where was the pain coming from?

Ah yeah, he was on a job with Conan; to take out some kind of ferocious Arachnid that had been causing trouble in the suburbs of Ekoda Valley. When they'd searched the woods the 2 meter high spider had surprised them with an attack. It had gone for Conan first, but Shinichi had been just in time to throw himself in front of his little brother.

The action had left him wide open, so the spider had dug its fangs in his side. He'd quickly sprouted his wings and thrashed them at the creature. The appearance of the two appendages had scared the spider, who knew the meaning of the wings. It had immediately let him go and turned around to the tree to climb back from where it came.

He must've hit his head quite hard on the ground during the fall if the pain was anything to go by. The wound in his side stung as he breathed. Luckily it hadn't been a venomous arachnid or he'd have been in quite the predicament.

Slowly cracking his eyes open he found his little brother hovering over him, barely holding back his tears. "'Nii-san," he sobbed, "I'm sorry, 'nii-san. I didn't pay enough attention," he said, lowering his head as he avoided Shinichi's eyes.

Shinichi let out a small laugh that sounded more like a cough. He raised his hand and patted Conan's head. "Don't worry," he said, making the boy look at him again. "Just get the med kit from the van, alright? I'll wait for you here."

Rubbing away the tears, Conan nodded and got up to do as he'd been told. When Shinichi was certain he was gone, he let out a few more groans he'd been holding back for the sake of his little brother. It took a while before the pain became bearable, but eventually the pain in his head subsided enough for him to open his eyes.

Slowly pushing himself to sit with his back against a tree, he tried to get his breathing under control. When he investigated his side, he concluded the wound wasn't as bad as he'd first thought. He sat there for a while, waiting for Conan and trying to stop the bleeding as best he could.

But Conan was taking too long.

Frowning Shinichi tried to pick up his smell with his nose. A forest such as this one always had a lot of different scents. Shinichi loved picking the scents up one by one and trying to figure out what their origin was, however right now was not the time to do so.

Naturally the scent of blood was strong as it was quite literally under his nose. His little brother's scent was also quite easy to find as he'd known it for eight years. It did seem to lead in the direction they'd left their van at, however there was another smell that was starting to mix with it.

Perspiration. Was Conan running so hard he was starting to sweat? That stupid little brother of his. The wound may seem bad, but it wasn't life-threatening if taken care of effectively.

But there was another scent that he couldn't pick up on at first. Blood. Maybe because the scent of his own was so strong he hadn't picked up on it sooner, but his little brother was bleeding somehow.

That made his eyes open wide. Had the Arachnid gone after his brother while he was out? But it knew they were both Ravens. Ravens are highly respected by other animals and none would dare to purposefully hurt one.

Pushing himself off the tree he tried to stand. The pain in his side increased, but determination gave him enough power to get on his feet. Using the trees around him for support he stumbled after Conan's scent. "Don't worry, Conan," he muttered. "I'm coming to help."

It took him a while and a lot of energy, but with every step he knew he was getting closer to his little brother. Which was starting to worry him. If he was getting closer with his slow pace Conan had to be standing still. Why would he stay still if he knew Shinichi needed treatment? Besides that, why would he be sweating so much if he wasn't moving?

He knew he was really close to getting to his little brother when he heard his voice. "No, please! You have to listen to me! You have to let me go! Please!" He heard Conan say, his voice breaking slightly. Anger boiled up inside of him as he heard the fear in his brother's voice and it made him stumble forward just a little faster than his wound allowed.

"I can get millions for a creature like you," another voice, one which Shinichi didn't recognize, said. "Give me one good reason why I should let you go?"

Stumbling around a pair of boulders Shinichi fell on the ground. His wound was becoming too much to bear and his vision was becoming blurry. Wheezing and holding his side, Shinichi looked up to see a man around his own age jab a syringe in his little brother's neck. Conan tensed at the sudden pain, before he limply fell to the ground.

"No," Shinichi said through his pants, but he was still too far away for either of them to notice him. Despair held his heart in an iron grip when he watched the man heave his unconscious little brother on his shoulder and carry him away. "No!" he groaned out loud.

Conan. Conan was being taken away. And here he was. Lying on the ground and unable to do anything against it.

He watched until they were just out of sight and it was then that his body finally gave up on him. His eyes closed and he tumbled into darkness.

A darkness he didn't get out of until his body felt numb from the blood loss. The pain had subsided with the numbness, and sheer determination made him open his eyes and get up again. Conan was the only thing on his mind as he stumbled through the forest, following the scent of his little brother.

 _Conan. Conan. Conan._

Without realizing it, he'd walked into the valley. People looked up as he limped down the streets, hand clutching his wound. But he ignored them. With a tunnel vision of getting his little brother back he dragged his feet over the cobblestones.

Finally he reached a building somewhere on the outskirts of the valley. The scent led him to the back where he found a white pick-up truck he could smell had held Conan. The trail then led him to the back door of the building.

He walked towards it and slowly became aware of the voices inside the building. "…offered me four million for the Raven." Shinichi's eyes widened. The Raven? Did they mean Conan? Moving closer to the door he listened to the conversation more closely.

"Of course, I could always see what others are willing to offer me, perhaps the price will rise even further if I tell more people about it," a voice he vaguely recognized said.

"Alright, I'll give you four million, but nothing more!" another voice said.

Horror filled Shinichi's being. Offering four million for the Raven. They were selling Conan! He was only vaguely aware of the first voice speaking up again until he heard a familiar cry inside. Conan!

"No!" Slamming the door open, Shinichi realized he'd screamed that out loud without meaning to. Leaning against the door frame he looked inside what seemed to be a storage room. Inside stood two men, both looking at him with wide, shocked eyes. One of them was a plump man, dressed in a suit, making him look out of place in the run-down building. The other was the same one that had carried Conan away from him.

And behind them, trapped inside a cage, was his little brother. "I'll pay you five million!" he shouted. He could and would not let anyone take Conan away from him. He would protect Conan forever.

Opening his eyes, Shinichi found himself looking up at the ceiling of the exact same storage room. Sitting up he found Conan sleeping soundly beside him. It seemed night had fallen and he'd fallen asleep while he'd been recovering from his wound.

Looking up and around the room he found Kuroba's mother – Chikage wasn't it? – standing in the door opening of the back door. She had her arms tightly around her and ejected an air of worry as she stared outside.

"He's not back yet?" Shinichi asked as he realized she was waiting for Kuroba to get home. He guessed he'd fallen asleep just after the poacher had left, which had been around eight o'clock. Since it was getting dark outside he'd been out for about two hours or so?

Startled by his sudden question, Chikage jerked around to look at him with wide eyes. The surprise soon morphed back into worry as she shook her head and turned back. Getting up Shinichi tried his body for a little while. With the treatment and the sleep, he was feeling a lot better and his wound wasn't hurting as much. It really was only a dull pain and if left alone he should be fine.

"I can go look for him if you want," he suggested then, moving to stand beside the woman. Now she turned to him fully, a hopeful look in her eyes.

"Can you?" she asked just as hopeful. When he smiled comfortingly at her, she nodded eagerly. "Please, I don't want to lose anyone else to the weather."

Putting a hand on her shoulder he also nodded. "Of course, if you could take care of my little brother, I'll find your son."

"For the love of..." Kaito cursed, trying once again to start his car. The engine sputtered but didn't start. Slamming his fist on the wheel, Kaito let his head fall backwards. Taking a few deep breaths he tried to think of a plan.

He'd just finished cleaning up all his traps when he'd felt the air grow colder. He'd immediately gone back to his car and tried to leave, but no matter what he did the old vehicle refused to start. "Maybe the cold is making it impossible," Kaito thought out loud, his breath leaving white puffs in the air.

He could already see the edges of the windshield freezing up as the temperature dropped further. "Kuso," he cursed again. The car wouldn't be starting anytime soon with this weather. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't even run back to the valley. His legs would go numb before he'd reach it, even if he was constantly moving.

His luck was that he at least had a cabin that held some warmth, though that warmth would soon disappear if the weather stayed like this for too long. The best thing to do was to get the cloths out he had for these specific situations and wrap his legs up as best as he could. His upper body was safe thanks to the chameleon jacket, but he was worried for his legs. They wouldn't hold out long in this peak.

Shaking his head he got to work. He reached to the side to grab the three cloths, however horror struck him when he realized. He only had one! The other two he'd given to his mother because she'd said she needed some kind of cloth for a display in the shop.

He was an idiot. She'd said she'd only need it for a day, but afterwards he forgot to put them back in his truck. Looking at his legs he groaned. Three cloths might have been able to save his legs from the cold, but one was not going to cut the deal. This peak better be small or he's going to lose a foot tonight.

Grabbing the last cloth he had he wrapped it around his legs and made himself as comfortable as possible, hugging his legs to his chest in the hope that it would somehow help a little bit with keeping himself warm.

As the temperature outside dropped, so did the temperature inside the car. He could see his breath leave his mouth in small puffs that became more visible as time passed. The cold air stung his nose and throat, but the hood kept his face somewhat warm. His legs were starting to feel colder with the minute. He tried moving from time to time, so they wouldn't get too stiff, but it was becoming more difficult.

The worst thing was that as his legs were getting colder, his upper body as well, became colder. And the chameleon jacket could not remedy that. It didn't take much longer before he was shivering inside his car, teeth clacking together in a steadily quickening pace.

After a while he even began to feel somewhat drowsy, which was the worst thing he could do right now. If he fell asleep he would not move at all, which means his legs would get even worse! He had to stay awake so he could keep them somewhat warm.

But his body betrayed him, sleep was becoming more and more attractive. "I'm sorry," he said, as his eyes closed, "'Kaa-san." And with that he fell asleep.


	5. Hero'verse - Chapter 2

Hello! It's been a month, so I decided I had to post something again. Haven't been writing much, but this was still waiting around and though I'm not sure how much I like it, I realized I wasn't going to change it, so I might as well upload it! These stories sometimes aren't that well put together, mostly because I know I hate it when a story I like discontinues. I'd rather it continue with plot holes, than stop altogether. Besides it's not that bad, I think...

It comes down to me being tired of being a perfectionist and just wanting to share the story with you guys and gush over Kaito and Shinichi :3

So have fun with the next part of the hero'verse!

 **Warning** **:** OoCness.

 **Words:** 2585

Hero'verse - Chapter 2: The code

"Moping again, huh?"

"No, I'm not," Kaito muttered and turned his head, which was lying on top of his crossed arms on the table, to the other side. Mouri Ran was standing next to him, hands behind her back and a bright smile on her face.

"So? What's got you so down lately?"

The magician merely closed his eyes and wrinkled his nose. "Nothing," he said, waving dismissively with his hand towards the girl. That wasn't true, of course. However, it's not as if he could actually tell her the truth: that he was the superhero KID and that a stupid Rat, Sora, was bothering him so much.

He'd gone back this morning to the place where Sora had somehow gotten to the roof. It had seemed impossible as Kaito had had to use his grappling hook to get up there. This morning he'd seen that, as he'd thought last night, there was no way Sora could've climbed up there without any kind of help.

But, looking back at the events of last night, Kaito realized it was more as if Sora had teleported up to the roof. Even if the Rat had had something similar to KID's grappling hook, it would've taken longer. Kaito had lost sight of him for about five seconds. Yet somehow he'd made it up there while it'd taken the hero ten seconds with the grappling hook – aiming wasn't done just like that.

So, Sora either was something superhuman, or he'd just had some kind of help from something or even someone. Which raised questions as to how that person knew where to help the Rat. They must communicate somehow if that were the case.

Which in turn would mean that the Rats were a lot more organized than the havoc they leave in their wake suggests.

Perhaps that would also explain why Sora was lucky enough to land in the truck with cotton. If it hadn't coincidentally passed by, the criminal probably would have never escaped. So it wasn't that far off to think that an accomplice had been the one driving the truck.

"He's just on his period," an annoying voice perked up from in front of him, shooting him out of his thoughts. Raising his head, Kaito shot the British prick, who'd spoken just now, a murderous glare. "Just ignore him Ran-san," he then continued, unaffected by the glare.

Kaito decided he'd follow the prick's advice for now. He'd get his revenge later, which would involve a lot of sanitary pads and ketchup. Definitely ketchup, that stuff was nasty to get out of your clothes.

Ran was looking at him as if both warning him not to do anything funny as well as conveying she was sorry for Hakuba's joke. Kaito shrugged. He could take Hakuba's insults, after all, he returned all of them tenfold.

"Either way, I know you're lying when you say it's nothing. I won't force you to spill it if you don't want to, but just know that you can talk to me if you need to, alright?" Ran said, smiling that sweet, motherly smile of hers.

Kaito smiled back and nodded that he'd understood. Ran's smile broadened before she straightened up and used her right hand to put some stray locks behind her ear. In that last movement something caught Kaito's eye.

Focusing on it, he knew he'd seen it on her wrist before. It was her small charm bracelet, several different trinkets twinkling in the light. He noticed one of them that he hadn't seen before. "Ah, you got a new one?" Kaito said, making Ran aware that his attention had gone to the bracelet.

She looked at it for a minute, before recognition bloomed on her face. "Yeah!" she said excitedly and held it out for Kaito to see. It was a small trinket, that was shaped like a little mouse. It looked somewhat odd though.

The trinket made it seem as if you were looking at it from a 3/4 angle with its head turned towards you, so that you could see a little bit of its side, but the head from the front. The head was also turned slightly downwards, so that it almost seemed to look at the viewer with suspicion.

The trinket couldn't really be labelled as 'cute', which was something girls often liked. However Ran wasn't the cutesy, girly type of girl, so it wasn't that surprising that she had something which was a little more tough.

"I really like it!" Ran said, as she pulled her hand back again. "But don't tell the teacher I'm wearing it, or she'll take it away from me," she whispered the last part with her hand next to her mouth. Before either of them could say any more, said teacher came in and asked them to take their seats. Ran waved at him, then went to do as she'd been asked.

Kaito sighed and looked out the window besides him, paying no mind to the class as his mind was occupied with questions surrounding a specific azure-eyed criminal.

 _That stupid Rat_.

Silently dropping himself from the window he'd just opened, Kaito looked around the warehouse in search for his targets. Lately a lot of people had been ambushed at night and robbed by a group of masked men.

Somehow they always escaped the police's clutches even though they had patrol cars prowl the city at night. Luckily none of the victims up to date had been seriously injured, just some minor bruises from showing resistance.

However Kaito decided to do something about it before the robberies could escalate out of control. It took him quite a few nights to gather enough clues, but one in particular had helped him a lot.

Shinichi himself had actually been the one to give him that clue. When the subject had surfaced in a friendly conversation, the grey-eyed detective had dropped some things he'd heard at the police station. One of the victims had heard the robbers talk about some sort of warehouse near the river.

While the police were busy scouring warehouses near rivers, Shinichi had offered the idea that maybe 'near the river' wasn't meant as literally as the police thought. "After all, why would they talk so obviously about their hideout when an eyewitness is nearby?" Shinichi had said.

So Kaito did a little digging and found numerous warehouses that had indeed other connections with 'rivers', like one warehouse that was located near a restaurant called, the Great River. He'd made a list of all the warehouses that weren't literally connected to 'near the river' but rather in a figuratively way.

Then it was just a matter of going to all the warehouses and looking around to see if that was the robbers' hideout. Up until now he hadn't had much luck though. This particular warehouse he was in right now, was close to a mall, which its residents usually referred to as 'The River' due to the large, rectangular pond at the main entrance.

Kaito had given up all hope for tonight, as he'd already gone through three other warehouses and was pretty much keeling over from drowsiness, but a muffled cry woke him up. Staying quiet and straining his ears he waited until it resounded again. This time he could hear the frustration in the cry.

Without making a sound he moved in the direction of the noise. It led him to the main hall, where large boxes stood, piled on top of each other in all corners of the room. In the middle a group of men sat bundled together. Most of them stayed still and had their heads hung low, as if they were asleep.

There was only one of them awake and moving about, trying to untie the ropes that kept him bound and the cloth that kept his mouth shut. He was the one who'd released the muffled scream, probably to wake his comrades.

Moving out of the shadows, Kaito came into the man's line of sight. The man stilled, eyes widening before a glare took them over. Looking at the other men bound on the ground, he saw they were all tied up in the same fashion and wouldn't be waking up any time soon.

He walked towards the only one awake and released the cloth from his mouth. The man said nothing and continued to glare at Kaito. The latter ignored it and asked, "Who are you?"

"Che," the man said in disdain. "Like you don't know that already."

Kaito ignored the man's tone, thinking about the possibilities. He'd guessed the men were workers in the warehouse and were held captive, however the man's reaction to his appearance was odd if that were the case. Any innocent person would be glad to see the superhero about to save them.

Are they the ones he was looking for then, the group of robbers? But then… "Who tied you up like this?" he asked, curious who'd captured the robbers the police had been looking for, without warning said police.

The man's eyes came to glare at him again. Although the anger behind the glare wasn't aimed at him, but at the ones who'd done this to him. "Those stupid Shadows. Came barging in here like they owned the place," he grumbled.

Kaito froze. Sora had been here? When? Or rather why? A frown took over his face as he looked at the robbers. He did not understand why they would go after them, capture them, and then leave them for the police to find.

Or rather they didn't. Had the police been informed yet? Then it would make sense in a twisted way, for criminals to catch other criminals. But now… when morning came these men might have been found by some oblivious citizen and freed if they played innocent, without anyone the wiser.

"Why would they go after you?" KID asked, not necessarily having meant to ask it out loud, more so than thinking out loud. It did not matter though, maybe the robber could give him his answer.

The man in question turned his gaze back to him with a glare. "They are your friends! You should know why such a large group suddenly targets us!" he shouted, enraged.

"We are not friends," KID hissed right back, peeved that the man would put him on the same page as those Rats.

"Che," the man said, and turned his chin slightly to the side to show he did not particularly care what the hero said. "Whatever. The guy said that a friend would come and deliver us to the police. That bastard Sora wouldn't leave me alone, until I remembered that stupid code from the top of my head!"

Kaito's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, 'that code'?"

The man seemed to pale for a little bit – what? Had Sora threatened him if he forgot or something? - then he started to think really hard. "2, 5, 6, underscore, 3, underscore, 1, 4," the robber said, saying the numbers in English. Afterwards he raised his eyes from where he had lowered them to the ground and looked back into KID's eyes. "Happy now?"

 _256_3_14, huh_? Kaito thought, storing the code away for now and focusing on leading the police to the robbers. He would examine the code at a more appropriate time.

That appropriate time came more often than not; when his chemistry teacher was covering something he already knew, after he'd finished all his homework, when he was dyeing Hakuba's hair purple, when he couldn't sleep at night, when he was chasing bad guys, oh wait… that's not an appropriate time. But it was a moment he thought about it anyway. Not to mention every morning as he had breakfast as well as at night when he had dinner and during lunch hours, when the history teacher was becoming too sleep-inducing…

Basically, he thought about it all the time. Yet, somehow he never came across the right answer. He knew quite a lot about mysterious messages, after all, he liked leaving small riddles at the police station about criminals and where to find them.

But the criminals he chased never made riddles themselves, so he'd never actually been at the receiving end of things. He was wondering about why the Rats had left that message and whom it was actually meant for.

Who was the friend that was supposed the receive the message? Maybe the number were some kind of coordinates? It didn't make any sense for a group of criminals to catch another group. Unless there was a third party who had hired the Rats to capture the group.

If that were the case, then the Rats' code could be the coordinates to either where the group of robbers had to be delivered to or even where the payment for their services had to go. Now the question was; how to get coordinates from this code?

Kaito spent nights trying to get any form of coordinates from the code, but it was in vain. _Is my reasoning off then?_ He thought as he threw another piece of paper filled with notes at the back of Hakuba's head.

Annoyed the blond jerked around and made a grab for the paper, but Kaito let it vanish with a cloud of smoke – he wasn't going to give the British prick free information just like that. The detective in question glared at him, daring him to repeat the action – which he had already done twice.

Seeing that he was about the reach his limit and hoping to get a good reaction out of him, Kaito took a blank piece of paper and threw it for the last time at the other's head. And for the first time it wasn't the magician prankster who disrupted the classroom - not directly at least.

Hakuba jumped up from his seat, causing his chair to fall back. Jerking around once more, he slammed his hands on Kaito's desk and bowed so far that his nose was almost touching Kaito's.

"Will you ever grow up, you bloody excuse for a teenager!" he shouted in the magician's face. The latter didn't back off though, just smirked right in the other's angry face. Before the teacher could reprimand either of them, the bell rang, signalling the end of the day.

The class, after the initial surprise - ignored the two as they stood up and left. They were used to the two fighting and freedom was more important. "Just because you catch criminals first, does not give you the right to taunt the hard-working law enforcement!" Hakuba continued in a more subdued voice. "Just because you refuse to believe your father's death was an accident, you can't go around the law, catching criminals as you please."

The smirk disappeared off his face. Kaito was not pleased Hakuba brought his father into this. "Don't talk like you know what happened that night," he said calmly, but the blond could hear the threatening undertone and he backed up slightly in both surprise as fear.

There was hesitancy in his eyes, before he seemed to shake himself out of it and the glare came back. "You're pathetic, Kuroba," he said, straightening himself as he turned and walked away.

Kaito was left to think on his own as the classroom slowly became empty and quiet. Body slumping back in his chair, he looked outside the window, face seemingly impassive as he sat there for hours.


	6. Dragon'verse - Chapter 1 part 1

It's the 15th again, and for some reason I feel the need to upload around this time every month. Anyway, double update this time and a new 'verse! I cut this story in half, because it was becoming way too long, but the plot introduction isn't done yet in this first part.

Anyway, have fun! And don't forget to leave a comment ;)

 **Warnings:** None

 **Dragon'verse - Chapter 1.1: Into the dragon's lair**

Shinichi looked at the blood that soaked the earth beneath his feet. His ears picked up the agonized screams and moans of the wounded and dying. It was the only sound that could be heard on the rocky ledge they'd set up camp. As if everything else was too afraid to interrupt the horrible scene.

Their camp was a forest of quickly set up tents. They stood jumbled together, some askew, others built half-heartedly. Mostly they were meant to shelter the wounded from the pouring rain. If any of their commanders had seen this, they would've been furious. They would have yelled at them for being so careless and doing such half-hearted work.

But that's just how it was. Just like their tents, the survivors were nothing but a few people jumbled together, some injured, some unharmed. There were no more commanders. None of them had survived the bloodbath that had taken place mere hours ago. The knights that were left, were either in no condition to fight or had lost all will to.

Shinichi stood amidst all of those still capable to fight. He looked at their faces. Young boys, some not even fifteen years old, were shivering in fear of what they'd seen. Elder men stood dejectedly, knowing the battle was a lost cause. They'd given up on everything.

In all honesty, Shinichi wasn't sure what he should think. As all the commanders were dead, the task of leading befell to him. He was supposed to lead them to complete their mission. The problem was, he wasn't sure if he wanted to finish the mission.

What was their king thinking, sending out a whole army on this suicide mission? It was widely known that their king was a rather greedy man. He loved to show off his wealth and that of his kingdom. Luckily he wasn't greedy enough to want to take all of the wealth of his people away either. No, their king wanted the largest and most prosperous country in all of human history. Of course, in order to do that he couldn't have his people dying of hunger and suffering in poverty.

Then one day he decided that he should sent an army to the northern mountains. Because, according to rumours, in a cave in the highest mountain lay a treasure so big that they could rebuilt the capitol in pure gold. Many stories spread throughout the country about the vast riches and those had eventually reached their king.

But as any other treasure there was something guarding the riches in the mountain. The people of surrounding villages called him the 'God of the mountain', a humongous and terrifying dragon. His fire had burned their knights to a crisp in mere seconds, his roar had made several of them deaf and his eyes had had such an intense look that those who had looked straight into them died on the spot.

Shinichi remembered the fear that had spread through his own body at the sight of the colossal beast. Leathery, crimson scales covered its body and had glistened in the light of the setting sun. Its claws were razor sharp as they split the earth. Its wings spread far and wide, and its tail swept hazardly behind him.

Taking a deep breath Shinichi rid himself of the frightening memories of their earlier battle. Making a decision he started to loosen the cords of his armor. With sharp and hastened movements he got rid of the heavy piece of metal. Standing in nothing but his wet tunic he walked towards the tent they used as storage for their supplies and took a dark greenish cloak.

He felt eyes bore in his back as the group of leftover knights watched his every movement, but he ignored them. After he'd put the cloak around his shoulders he started to walk away from the camp. Footsteps quickly came closer and a dark-skinned teenager came up besides him.

"Oi, Kudo," Hattori said, confusion evident in his voice. "What are you doing? Are you just going to run away?" Shinichi didn't stop. With quick and agitated footsteps he walked further and further away from the camp.

"Of course not," Shinichi growled, sending his friend a glare. "I'm going on reconnaissance. I'll see if I can find that damned thing's weak spot." He felt more than saw Hattori stop at that, but he didn't pay him any attention. Water splashed up as he stomped down the muddy road.

"Kudo!" Hattori called out in frustration, silently begging the other to stop. With a sigh Shinichi did and turned around to meet the other's gaze. "You're being irrational, Kudo," the dark-skinned teen began. "You're going on this suicide mission out of frustration. Let's just calm down, go back to the camp, and think of some kind of plan."

"What else is there to do, Hattori?" Shinichi yelled, throwing his arms sideways in frustration. "Listen, I won't try to be the hero and try to fight this so-called _God_ ," he said, spitting out the last word with disgust. "If we don't find a way to take him down, we'll all die. I'm going there and see what I can do. If I'm not back by tomorrow morning you go back to the capitol."

"And then what? What do we tell the king? We just didn't think we could win, so we ran?" Hattori yelled right back.

"I don't care what you tell him, but this is a lost cause! There is no reason for us to fight anymore if we don't even know how to defeat that beast!"

"For Christ's sake, Kudo!" Hattori pounded with his foot on the ground like a child. "I'm just as frustrated as you are that Hakuba was hurt!"

Shinichi blinked. His shoulders relaxed as he finally started to calm down. "I thought you disliked Hakuba?"

Quickly looking away and scratching the back of his head Hattori tried to hide the blush of embarrassment. "Well, I do, but… It's just frustrating when that stupid dragon wounded him," he mumbled. "I mean, I was right beside him. If I'd just pushed him out of the way… it just hurts my pride, alright!"

Shinichi first looked at him in surprise. It seemed like Hattori was actually worried about their blonde friend for once. Soon he couldn't keep himself from smirking smugly. "Oh really?" he said teasingly. "Is that really the reason?"

Hattori flushed and glared at him. "Yes, that really is the real reason, you jerk!" he yelled at him in annoyance. Shinichi couldn't help but laugh at his friend's reaction. Hattori was always fun to mess with.

Their laughter died down, though, and both of them grew quiet. The two of them silently thought about what to do, hoping to find a better plan than Shinichi's. Shamefully neither was able to. There wasn't much else that could be done. They needed the information on how to defeat the dragon and the best way to get that information was to sent one person to collect it.

How he was going to do it, Shinichi did not know, but he wasn't planning on just giving up. He'd fulfill this mission or at least die trying. That's what he promised when he became a knight. It's a pride that came with being a man of war.

"You're coming back before tomorrow morning, you got that? I promised 'nee-chan I'd get you home safely. Don't make me break that promise," Hattori said, looking at the ground between them. Shinichi knew he couldn't promise something like that. It was very likely he was going to die, not that he was planning to, but the odds weren't exactly in his favor.

"Sure," he said. "Take care of everyone here, alright?" The dark-skinned teen nodded mutely. That's how they parted. Shinichi turned around and without looking back walked away from the camp. The track towards the cave didn't take as long as Shinichi had hoped it would. Within an hour - though it felt more like minutes - he had reached the gaping entrance.

For a minute he stood there, feeling as if he were the smallest person on earth. With every second the cave seemed to grow bigger and tower above him. It laughed down at him, knowing he was trying to overcome his fear.

Shinichi got the feeling as if it were mocking him. _Come inside,_ it said. _You'll be safe_. But he knew better than that. Inside that dark cavern was a monster. A humongous creature that could kill a small human like him in the blink of an eye. It wouldn't even have to lift a paw. One swing with its deadly tail was all it took for it to get rid of an annoying little pesk like him.

Then all of a sudden, he felt a small breeze break through the curtain of water. It was just a light pressure against his body, but it was there. Frowning at the cave, Shinichi was fairly certain it had originated from there.

It peaked his interest. If there was wind coming from the cave, that meant that there had to be another entrance, right? The wind had to enter somewhere.

Shinichi had always been an inquisitive person. He never had been able to leave a mystery unsolved. Once something caught his attention he had to investigate it until he knew it from the inside out. This wasn't any different. The cave and the wind had provided him with a big mystery and had washed away all his doubts.

Slowly taking a step forward, he hesitated for a second more. After that he straightened his back and walked inside. As soon as he was out of the rain he felt just how soaking wet he was. His clothes stuck to his body on all sides and made him shake like a leave in the wind. The wind was also a lot stronger inside, which, combined with the clothes, froze him to the core. Shivering Shinichi rubbed his arms before quickly continuing his way inside.

It got darker the farther he went in. Eventually he had to feel his way around. One hand touching the wall, he held the other in front of him. Soon all the light disappeared from his world. In the darkness he stumbled forward. From time to time he tripped over a rock, or a dip in the ground, often times causing pain to shoot through his ankles. The wind was only gaining in strength, making him walk with his head bowed forward.

It was really tiresome, but he had to continue. Hours passed by and Shinichi had a feeling as if he should've been on the other side of the mountain ages ago. But with all the sudden twists and turns and ups and downs, it wasn't farfetched to think he was walking around in circles.

Despite that, the wind blowing in his face told him there had to be an end to the path. So he continued, farther and farther inside the tunnels of the mountain.

Then all of a sudden as he was about to take another step forward he felt there was no ground for him to stand on. He searched the wall for anything that he could use to stop himself from falling, but there was nothing. The wall was too smooth for him to get ahold of.

Soon he was falling down, unable to see what was happening. Closing his eyes he waited for the impact with the ground, hoping it wasn't too far and that he wouldn't break anything. His fall lasted forever it seemed, but eventually he was enveloped by something ice cold. He gasped in shock, but there was no air around him to suck in. Only a liquid that now found its way inside his longues.

It took him a second to realize it was water. He'd probably fallen down in a mountain lake or something. Using the last bit of his strength Shinichi tried to swim towards what he thought was the surface. In the weightlessness of the water it was almost impossible to know which side was up and which was down.

It was pure luck that he'd chosen the right one. Gasping for air, he resurfaced. At that moment he certainly was glad he'd shed his armor, otherwise it would've pulled him down towards the bottom of the lake. He stayed afloat, just trying to catch his breath and calming his beating heart. For once in his life, Lady Luck seemed to like him.

For now that is…

Feeling his body cool off way too quickly in the freezing water, he decided it was time to search for land. Looking around he was surprised to see the cave was lit up. At first he didn't understand where it came from, but soon he saw them. Huge emerald-like crystals embedded in the walls, the ceiling and even the bottom of the lake was lit up in a greenish light.

A few feet to his right Shinichi saw a platform. He quickly swam towards it and raised himself out of the water. He was shivering inside his cold, wet clothes - apparently they could get wetter than they already had been. At some point he seemed to have lost his cloak, but he saw his sword was still hanging in its sheath on his hip. He noticed though that there was no wind down here. It was a curse and a blessing. Now he was without a guide. Though the crystals were a nice replacement.

Taking a closer look at a large one, sticking out of the wall, he touched it with his pointer finger. "Eh?" he said surprised and pulled his finger back. The crystal seemed to emit some kind of warmth. Reaching out again he lay his hand on top of it and felt a wave of warmth meet it. He shivered at the contradiction with his wet clothes and cold body.

Looking around he shrugged. He guessed he could lose a few minutes trying to warm up.


	7. Dragon'verse - Chapter 1 part 2

And without further ado, here's the second part!

 **Dragon'verse - Chapter 1.2: The dragon**

With warm clothes covering his warm body Shinichi felt renewed as he continued down the cave. On the right side of the platform he'd found another tunnel and seeing as that was the only way he could go he followed it. This time guided by the light of the crystals he felt a lot better and more positive about his mission.

Of course more problems were just waiting around the corner. After walking for about an hour Shinichi found himself standing in front of four gaping holes. Great, just what he needed; a junction. Now he had to choose which path he should take.

Sighing Shinichi looked at the tunnels. The one on the far left was small and on closer inspection Shinichi saw that it would only get smaller the farther he went inside. Either it would be a dead-end, or he'd get stuck halfway. So that one was out of the option.

Then there were three left. The second one from the left looked normal enough. It went straight for quite some time, before it curved to the left. It was completely lit up by the crystals and seemed safe enough.

The second one from the right was different. It was completely dark and it was rather large, larger than the others. Remembering a trick his father had told him, Shinichi threw a stone a good distance inside the tunnel. The sound of the stone falling on the ground continued to echo for a long time before slowly fading away. That meant that it wasn't a dead-end or at least not any time soon.

The last tunnel was again lit up by the crystals, but it almost immediately curved to the right. Daring to walk a few steps inside Shinichi looked around the curve. He frowned as another curve made it impossible to see the remaining part of the tunnel.

Looking back, he hesitated. He didn't want to venture too far from the junction, but at this rate he wouldn't know which road to choose. He decided one more curve wouldn't hurt. Walking a few more steps forward he saw it was of no use. The tunnel was much like a snake, curve after curve blocked his sight from the rest.

Walking back to the junction Shinichi sat down with his back against a crystal, enjoying its warmth as he thought about his next course of actions. Now he had to choose which one he would pick; the straight tunnel, the dark tunnel or the snake-like tunnel. Sighing Shinichi let his head fall back with his eyes closed.

This was useless. He was stuck in this maze-like cave, with no idea what time it was or how to get back. Maybe Hattori had already left with what was left of their army? If that were the case, he'd probably be furious at him. He did promise he would be back by morning.

Ran would probably miss him too. Especially her aristocratic parents would be sad to see him gone, even though her father didn't really like him. The only reason he tolerated Shinichi was because his daughter had taken a liking to him and he would be a good husband for Ran.

Oh yes, Shinichi knew his parents and Ran's had been talking about marriage. After this mission they were planning to break the news to them. Ran would be delighted to hear it, so he guessed he had to get back home soon.

He had to get this mission over with. Finding that dragon's weakness would bring him one step closer to that. Opening his eyes with determination Shinichi thought about just taking a risk and picking a random tunnel when something caught his eyes.

On the ceiling of the cave words were written. Three words written just above the doors. "Eien, Gaman, Shi," Shinichi read out loud. Forever, perseverance, and death were their translations. What was that supposed to mean?

Shinichi thought about it, taking his chin with one hand, while the other took a hold of his elbow. It was rather obvious the words were clues as to which path he should take. The 'shi' or 'death' was written above the Snake-like tunnel. It would be wise not to choose that one. A tunnel leading to death did not sound good.

'Gaman' was written above the dark tunnel. _Perseverance,_ Shinichi thought, _did that refer to the fact it was completely dark? You had to be brave enough to continue?_

The last tunnel, the straight one, held the word 'eien'. Forever was rather fitting. The straight tunnel seemed to go on forever, and maybe it did.

Well… that choice was made rather quickly. He stepped towards the Gaman tunnel and stood in front of it. That was it. He'd have to go through the darkness if he wanted to continue. Sighing, Shinichi walked forward.

But stopped before he could actually enter. Jerking his head up, he looked at the direction of the Shi tunnel. Had it been his imagination or had there just…?

Staring at it he tried to see if it would repeat. Just as he'd been about to enter the Gaman tunnel he thought he saw a shadow from the corner of his eyes. It passed by really quickly as if someone had run away.

 _Who would be in the Shi tunnel? Or rather who would be in these tunnels at all?_ he thought. He'd come there to finish his mission and find the dragon's weakness. But what anyone else could be doing here, was a complete mystery. Maybe it had been his imagination? Maybe it had just been a trick or something to lead him towards the Shi tunnel, towards death? He should just continue down the Gaman and ignore what he'd seen.

But it was pulling. The urge to figure out what anyone had to do inside these tunnels was so alluring that he couldn't resist. It was the exact same feeling as he'd had in front of the entrance. He had to find out more. He had to figure out this mystery and the only way to do that was to follow it.

So, even though his mind yelled at him and told him to stop, his heart couldn't let it go. Changing course, he walked inside the Shi tunnel, sending one glance back towards the Gaman. As he'd thought the tunnel was exactly like a snake. It curled throughout the mountain, left, right, left, and again to the right.

Though it didn't take long before he encountered something new. The first ones he'd seen were written in the outer wall of a curve so that you would see them before you made the turn. Written in a red liquid that looked eerily like blood, were the words;

' _Turn back_ '.

Not much of a threat and Shinichi wasn't one to back down so easily. So he ignored the words and continued his walk. After five minutes he encountered more words. This time written in a foreign language. Shinichi recognized it as the language of their neighboring country. He could speak it a little, so even though he couldn't understand exactly what it said, he got the gist of it.

' _Death'_

' _Blood'_

' _Devil'_

The farther he continued the more words he encountered. Soon the words completely filled the empty spaces between the crystals on the walls. They became more gruesome. Sometimes Shinichi saw a smudge of a bloodied hand stain the wall, as if the owner had desperately tried to hold on, but was dragged backwards.

' _Help'_

' _Monster'_

' _Torture'_

' _Save me'_

' _Death'_

' _Demon'_

' _I don't want to die'_

' _Living HELL'_

Starting to feel slightly disturbed, Shinichi rounded another corner. As soon as he had, a bright light blinded his sight. Flinching back from the light, he put a hand in front of his face. He took a step further, but realized his mistake as soon as he felt there was no ground to step on.

With a yelp he fell forward, landing on a rocky slope with a painful smack before he, unable to stop himself, rolled down. After a second or two the slope disappeared and he was once again falling through the air.

Still blinded by the bright light around him, he was unable to see when his fall would end, let alone what he would be falling on. He was having a moment of deja-vu, although this time he was blinded by light, rather than darkness. He just hoped that this fall would also end in water.

After a few horrifying seconds he felt himself connect with the water surface. Despite being half prepared, he gasped as the cold chilled his just-warmed-up-body, causing water to flood his throat. Opening his eyes, he looked for the direction of the light and quickly swam there.

He choked as he breached the water surface, taking in short breaths as his body tried to cough up water at the same time. Looking around he swam to the closest patch of land he could find, pulling himself up until he was on hands and knees trying to stop his body's reflexes so as not to choke.

Once the water was out of his system, he took in deep gasping breaths, as he dropped himself on his back. He lay on the soft patch of grass for a while, cursing his bad luck and praying to whatever god that was willing to listen to make sure his journey went better from now on.

After he finished his silent prayer, he noticed he wasn't subjected to the bright light anymore. A shadow prevented the light from blinding him further, though he couldn't connect the shape with anything he'd seen before. It was something made out of wood.

As his body finally calmed down enough and his lunges had had enough oxygen, he sat up and took a look around him. Confusion made his eyebrow furrow on his forehead, as he took in the summery forest around him. The light that had blinded him was a warm yellow colour, much like the sun. The temperature was nice, if a little high. It was the kind of weather that just made you want to sit beneath a tree and bath in the forest's aura. The bird chirping as they flew through the trees only added to that feeling.

The peaceful scene felt ethereal as he'd been certain it had been autumn when he'd entered the mountain. Not to mention, the maps they'd used to navigate to the mountain had shown no sign of a forest lying anywhere near. He'd come a long way, but certainly he wasn't that far away from the camp? He wouldn't even have guessed that he'd left the mountain.

Shaking his head, he looked up to see what the shadow looming over him was. He was underneath some kind of platform, wooden pillars supporting the logs that formed the base of the platform. He noticed that some of the pillars stood in the water, causing the platform to hover over the lake in front of him.

Good thing he'd landed in the lake rather than the wooden structure…

Getting up, he walked from underneath the platform, hoping to get a glimpse of what was on top of it. As soon as he was a couple of meters away from the platform he looked up, shielding his eyes from what he thought was the sun. The further he went backwards, the more he could see of the structure that was on top of the platform and his eyes widened in equal measure.

On top of the platform was an odd-looking, wooden building. It stretched across the whole platform, but the middle part of the roof seemed to be low. He guessed he could only barely walk straight at the lowest parts, however that was made up by the sides of the roof, which jutted upwards into the sky.

Sky?

The scenery beyond the cottage caught his attention as the sandy brownish colour covered the space where he'd expected the azure blue of the sky. Focusing more on his surroundings, he saw that he was still inside the mountain, but he'd stumbled - quite literally - into a humongous cavern that contained a whole forest and lake. Trying to look over the trees Shinichi guessed that the cavern was large enough to contain the capital - with castle and all.

But what really struck him as odd, was that there was no hole through which the sun lit up the cave. Instead, as he investigated the cavern more closely, there was a huge crystal embedded in the roof, which emitted the warm yellow light. It baffled him. He'd experienced the crystal's warmth first hand, but this crystal overpowered those tenfold. The warmth that met him as he stood in its light, felt as if the crystal actually was the sun.

Shinichi looked back at the cottage. If there was such a building here it meant there was someone living here as well. The shadow leading him to the Shi tunnel… had that been the person living here?

If there really was anyone living here, then they could surely tell him more about the dragon that ruled this mountain. He took a step forward, intent on asking help with whoever was living in the cottage, but stopped. A frown creased his forehead as another thought hit him. The person, or people, living here surely wouldn't stay with the possible threat of a dragon, would they? The idea that whoever stayed inside this cottage was actually the one controlling the dragon was perhaps more likely the case.

Deciding that caution was best when he entered the cottage, he stepped forward. Whether or not they were in cahoots with the _God of the mountain_ , they could help him get one step closer to his goal, so he had to investigate the cottage at the very least.

Looking around the platform, he tried to find a way up, which he did in the form of a wooden stairs on one side of the platform. As quietly as he could, Shinichi moved up the stairs, reaching a balcony which lead to the front door.

Although to call it a front door was an exaggeration. Rather it was an opening with a cloth hanging in front of it. Grinning Shinichi didn't mind it in the slightest. Now he could take a peek inside without the noise he would make when opening a door.

With his back pressed against the wall beside the 'front door', he looked around, pushing the cloth away just the slightest. The roof really wasn't that high on this side, though as he'd thought he could still stand straight, if only barely. The cottage seemed on the inside to be one open space, divided by cloths that hung much like liana in u-shapes. The floor was covered in exotic looking carpets.

"You can come in now, you know?" a voice suddenly said, startling Shinichi. His heart began to hammer inside his chest as he stayed quiet, hoping whoever had spoken was talking to someone else. He couldn't see anyone inside the room, though anyone could be hiding behind one of the cloths. "I knew you were inside my mountain the moment you took one step in. Now stop hiding by the door."

Knowing he couldn't hide any longer, Shinichi stepped inside the room. "My apologies, I didn't mean to be rude," he said. "My name is Kudo Shinichi, son of Kudo Yusaku."

"What is your purpose here, Kudo Shinichi?" He didn't know who he was talking to, and where their loyalties lay. But was it worth lying about his purpose?

"I am merely seeking the dragon that resides in this mountain," he said, opting for a neutral answer. He turned towards the direction where the voice had come from. It was to the right of the room where the roof reached its highest point. A large cloth hid whatever lay behind, but light shone through the windows behind it, casting shadows on the cloth.

A huff met him. Clearly the other wasn't impressed. "Why? Do you think you can defeat it on your own?"

The mocking tone made Shinichi frown. "Of course not. I'm not arrogant enough to think I'd be able to even leave a scratch on its skin," he said, after which it stayed quiet for a second too long. Shinichi moved towards the cloth, hoping to catch a glimpse of whomever he was talking to.

"If it isn't a battle you're looking for, why do you want to find this dragon?"

The wary tone in the voice told him he had to be careful with his next choice of words. The man seemed to dislike his quest to look for the dragon, but it also didn't sound like he'd appreciate a lie. "I'm here to find its weakness," he said, seeing no other way to put it.

"I see," was the only answer that met him.

When Shinichi reached the cloth he hesitated for a second, a wave of dread washing over him as he wondered whether or not he should face the man. There was little reason not to, the man already knew he was there and seeing each others' faces wouldn't matter. But there was an anxious feeling gnawing on his stomach, as if he were about to make a huge mistake.

Pushing the feeling aside, he pushed the cloth aside and froze at the sight. There was a dais in front of two large ceiling-to-floor windows, with something like a throne made of pillows. And between those pillows sat a man with piercing indigo eyes and messy brown hair.

His upper body was barely covered by a high collared, white robe that hung open and showed off his muscular torso. The edges of the robe were decorated with baby blue stripes that paled in comparison to the man's eyes. A red satchel was wrapped around his hips and a pair of white trousers covered his lower body. His bare arms shone with gold, two golden bracelets wrapping around his biceps and two larger ones that covered almost his entire forearm.

The clothes combined with the setting, made the man look exotic. Shinichi felt as if he were looking at a dessert prince, with the only thing missing being a table of food and a group of belly dancers.

But the thing that struck him the most were the faint signs of crimson scales on his shoulders and cheeks. A twinkle of crimson light made him look at the man's forehead, where a small ruby seemed to be embedded. In his memories he'd seen the exact same twinkle, except bigger - a lot bigger. It was the time when his comrades screamed in agony as they were burned alive. At that time, when he could only watch them die, he saw the crystal on top of its massive head twinkle in the light of the sun. A huge red crystal burning as if it were on fire.

A smirk split the man's face almost in two as those indigo eyes froze Shinichi on the spot. "Congratulations, you've found the dragon." The knight could only stare at the man. The realization that the dragon and him were one and the same could only slowly process inside his mind.

Eventually the man sighed, the smirk dropping from his face. "Humans are such foolish creatures. You think that just because you are with so many you own the world and can take anything you want," he muttered probably not having meant for Shinichi to hear. He sat up straight. "I thought you would be smart enough to heed the warnings inside my Shi tunnel, but I guess I was mistaken. Now that you know the truth I cannot let you leave."

The indigo eyes stirred the memory of the earlier battle again. At one point he'd been right next to the dragon's head as it passed a rock formation on which Shinichi had climbed. The large indigo eyes, even if they hadn't looked at him, had burned away all his self control. Powerless he'd dropped to his knees, unable to get up until the battle was over.

Faced with that memory he gathered the last bit of strength he had left and ran. Out of the building, half falling from the platform as he went down the stairs as fast as possible, and into the forest. No matter how frightening the man- no, dragon was, he was not going to go down without a fight.

He continued to run, branches clawing at his clothes and slowing him down. His only hope was that the branches would slow down the dragon as well, although if he were to use his real form a mere branch wasn't going to do much.

He didn't know where he was going, nor did he care. Finding an exit and getting out was the only thing on his mind. But as he ran he realized there was no sound of anyone following him. There was no roar from the dragon, nor were there footsteps of anyone running after him.

Hiding behind a tree, he tried to catch his breath while at the same time trying to pick up any sign of anyone following him. After a few minutes he came to the conclusion the dragon really wasn't following him. Anxiously he wondered why.

As the thought continued to spiral around his mind, he slid down the tree's trunk, head falling back to rest against the rough bark. With the knowledge he wasn't being chased, the exhaustion from the whole ordeal took over his body.

He tried to fight against the urge to close his eyes, but it was a losing battle. _I hope I wake up again_ , was the last thought before he fell asleep.


End file.
